Grant Application for
PoWeR! Book Bags
Mission Statement:
To increase children's experiences with language, literacy, and interactions with others so that they are better able to understand themselves, communicate with others, and connect with the world.
Fiscal agent if applicant is not tax exempt:
Tax ID Number:
81-2406342
Contact First Name:
Contact Last Name:
Kara
Gregory
Address:
P.O. Box 533
Email:
Phone Number:
2313430255
Website:
Project Name:
Healthy Futures for Moms and their Little Learners
Project start and end dates:
July 1, 2026
June 30, 2027
Amount Requested:
$
4000
Project Description:
We are continuing our work with women and their children through the Maternal Infant Health Programs in Charlevoix and Emmet Counties and would like your help. Women start with the MIHP program when they are pregnant and remain in the program until their babies reach 12-24 months. Each month, when the home visiting program professional from MIHP visits, the mother is invited to select a new book for each child in the home. Each child also receives a bag of PoWeR! materials. The books and materials, along with MIHP professional guidance will foster deeper engagement between the mother and her children while promoting language, literacy & overall development. Through the ongoing visits and accumulation of information & materials, family interactions in the home increase, mother-child relationships strengthen, & little brains are stimulated during this critical time when 90% of the brain growth is occurring.
Goal of the Project
How many people will you reach?
340
What percentage are female?
70
If your program serves both males and females, how will Hestia funds specifically target women and girls?
This program targets low-income mothers and their children who are receiving the Maternal Infant Health home visiting program at the Charlevoix and Emmet County Health departments. 140 mothers will be served along with approximately 200 children, of whom about 50% will be female and 50% male. As the mothers grow in their knowledge about their children's development, as well as in their at-home access to and ownership of tools (books, language& play materials, and writing supplies) to support their children's learning, foster interactions, and strengthen early relationships, everyone in the home will benefit. Given the materials and additional support and knowledge (delivered by the home visitor) mothers will be more empowered in their role as their children's first teacher, the relationships between mothers and their children will be strengthened, and their daughters and sons' overall language, literacy, and human interactions will be strengthened. The little girls in the home are also able to see a positive role model for how to interact with their children as mothers in the future. Adding the materials and information into their homes at this early age sets up this generation and those to come to do better in life.
How are recipients identified or selected to receive services? Is financial need considered?
The recipients of the PoWeR! Book Bags program are those who are enrolled in the Health Department's Maternal Infant Health Program (MIHP). These are all low-income families. Families must qualify for Medicaid to participate.
What do you hope to achieve? What difference will this make in the lives of women and girls?
How will this project meet Hestia's mission statement?
PoWeR! seeks to strengthen relationships between mothers and their children from birth, developing strong early relational health, while simultaneously stimulating their children's language, literacy, and overall development through play and literacy. Using the books and tools we provide, along with the mentoring from the MIHP home visitor, mothers are empowered to interact more purposefully with their children, playing, writing, and reading.
The PoWeR! Book Bags program for mothers and their children is delivered monthly in the home to the recipients of MIHP through their local health department. Moms are empowered with the materials, modeling, prompts, and strategies provided to engage with their children in a thoughtful manner. As the relationships deepen, the mothers and their children experience the benefits of stronger early relational health. The moms experience greater mental and physical well-being! The children develop stronger resilience, language and literacy abilities, and perform better academically. From the stronger early relational health, the children are more likely to grow to be adults who are economically independent and positively participate in society.
How will you evaluate or measure your success:
We will count the number of books and PoWeR! Language & Literacy filled bags which are delivered. Every child in the home will select a book each month, along with the filled bag once a year AND the family will receive a bag of 10 building blocks. We expect to deliver 2245 books and 200 PoWeR! Language & Literacy Bags into the homes of the families at MIHP in Charlevoix & Emmet Counties via the visiting health professionals of the health department.
Immediate success will be shown in the numbers & stories from partners.
A survey will be given to both the health professionals to help us better understand how we can better serve the mothers & their children.
Long term success is healthy, independent, articulate women in society,
whose children are successful.
Grant Project Budget Form
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